ration upon asparagus is clearly illustrated in Fig. 21, which presents
a photographic reproduction of an experimental plat of the North
Carolina State Horticultural Society at Southern Pines, N. C.,
fertilized with
250 lbs. nitrate of soda
400 " acid phosphate
160 " muriate of potash
per acre, while Fig. 22 shows a plat of equal size which remained
unfertilized.
[Illustration: FIG. 21--NORTH CAROLINA'S EXPERIMENT FARM ASPARAGUS PLOT;
FERTILIZED]
The following table gives the amounts of different fertilizer materials
necessary to give the desired quantity of each element:
_Element_ _Pounds of different materials for one acre_
{ 800 to 1,000 lbs. cottonseed-meal; or
Nitrogen { 350 to 400 " nitrate of soda; or
{ 275 to 300 " sulphate of ammonia; or
{ 400 to 600 " dried blood.
{ 300 to 500 lbs. kainit; or
Potash { 150 lbs. muriate of potash; or
{ 150 to 300 lbs. sulphate of potash
Phosphoric acid { 750 to 1,000 lbs. acid phosphate; or
{ 600 to 800 dissolved bone.
[Illustration: FIG. 22--NORTH CAROLINA EXPERIMENT FARM ASPARAGUS PLOT;
UNFERTILIZED]
"Asparagus requires very heavy manuring, and yet its composition would
not indicate it," writes Mr. Charles V. Mapes. "The explanation is found
in the fact that it must grow very rapidly, otherwise it is tough,
stringy and flavorless, the same as with radishes. If it had a long
season to grow in, like timothy hay, it might grow successfully in very
poor soil. A half ton of timothy hay contains about as much plant food,
and in similar proportions, as two thousand bunches of asparagus, or
five thousand quarts of strawberries, and yet while this quantity of hay
will grow on an acre of almost any poor soil, the strawberries or
asparagus for a fair crop per acre require a rich garden soil. If the
hay were obliged to make as rapid growth as the asparagus, then it also
would require rich soil. With the strawberry there is but the lapse of a
few weeks from the time of blossoming to the full development of its
fruit. The plants need a superabundance of plant food within easy reach,
otherwise the fruit is small and inferior. The plant can not bear
profitable fruit and at the same time be compelled to struggle for
existence. The same is the case with asparagus. Neither of these crops
can take up out of the soil all the fertilizer that needs to be applied
for their successful growth, and therefore there is necessarily a large
quantity of plant food unused and left over in the soil."
For these reasons, asparagus, while not necessarily an exhaustive crop,
requires heavy manuring. One ton of high grade vegetable manure is none
too much per acre, and is small, particularly in the expense, as
compared with the larger quantities of stable manure per acre, as
recommended by some successful growers. As already stated, formerly it
was thought necessary to place large quantities of manure in the bottom
of the deep trenches in which the young plants were set out, in order
that sufficient fertility might be present for several years for the
roots, as after the plants were once planted there would be no further
opportunity to apply the manure in such an advantageous place. This
theory has been found erroneous and the practice has been demonstrated
to be rather a waste than otherwise, and besides the roots of asparagus
thrive better when resting upon a more compact soil; nor is it necessary
that the soil should contain great amounts of humus, or be in an
extremely fertile condition when the plants are first put out, since by
the system of top-dressing a moderately fertile soil soon becomes
exceedingly rich and equal to the demands which the plants make upon
it.
The plan of top-dressing beds during the fall or early winter is
gradually giving way to the more rational mode of top-dressing in the
spring or summer. It was believed that autumn dressing strengthened the
roots and enabled them to throw up stronger shoots during the following
spring. This is a mistake, however. In the Oyster Bay region formerly
all manuring was done in the spring, but the practice of applying all
fertilizers immediately after the cutting is finished is rapidly
increasing. The reason for this is found in the fact that, during the
growth of the stalks, after the cutting season is over, the crowns form
the buds from which the spears of next season spring, and it is probable
that it is principally during this period that the roots assimilate and
store up the materials which produce these spears. This being true, the
plant food added to the soil and becoming available after the cessation
of vegetation in the autumn can have little, if any, effect upon the
spears which are cut for market the following spring; it first becomes
of use to the plant after the crop has been cut and the stalks allowed
to grow. Thus the manuring of the autumn of 1901 will not benefit the
grower materially until the spring of 1903.
Nevertheless, some highly successful asparagus raisers continue to apply
fertilizers in the spring, as evidenced by the following directions
given by one of the most prominent growers in the Oyster Bay district.
"After the roots have been set in the drill, put enough soil on them to
cover about two inches. Then sow about 500 pounds of high grade potato
fertilizer per acre in the drill. As the weeds commence to grow,
cultivate and hoe, letting the soil cave down in the drill. About the
middle of the season sow about 500 pounds more of fertilizer in the
drill. Continue to cultivate and hoe the remainder of the season. At the
end of the season the drill should be entirely filled up. The second
year sow about 2,000 pounds of fertilizer per acre broadcast, plow the
ground and harrow it down level, and keep the ground clean. The third
year open the drill over the asparagus with a one-horse plow, broadcast
2,000 pounds of fertilizer per acre about the time the shoots begin to
show, and back-furrow it up with a plow over the drill to form a ridge.
Then smooth the ridge down with a home-made implement resembling a
snow-plow reversed. Cut every morning all the shoots that show through
the ground. Do not cut more than four weeks in the first cutting season.
Continue to broadcast 2,000 pounds of fertilizer per acre every year."
From what has been said in regard to the various methods of applying
fertilizers to asparagus, it will be readily understood that it can make
but little difference how it is distributed, whether on the rows,
between the rows, or broadcast, so long as enough of it is put on the
land. In an established asparagus bed the entire ground is a dense
network of roots, and wherever the fertilizer is put some of the roots
will find it, but not those of the plants over the crowns of which it
has been planted; not more so than the feeding roots of an apple tree
can reach a heap of manure piled around its trunk.
SALT AS A FERTILIZER
Salt is but little used now by commercial asparagus growers, though it
has been recommended for this crop from time immemorial. About the
principal advantage to be derived from its use is that of killing weeds
without injuring asparagus, although it may be applied in sufficient
quantities to injure the asparagus. The indirect fertilizing value of
salt is mainly due to the fact that it has the power of changing
unavailable forms of plant food into available forms; but this object
may be secured cheaper and better by the use of kainit. In sandy soils
it may encourage the supply of moisture, but on naturally moist and
retentive soils heavy dressings of salt may do more harm than good.
Much of the benefits to asparagus for which salt gets credit is its use
in a small way in the home garden, due to the fact that not dry salt,
but the brine and residue of the pork and corned beef barrels is applied
to the asparagus beds. This brine is rich in animal matter extracted
from the meat, and usually also in saltpeter, which has been used in
pickling. The latter substance alone, without the addition of salt,
exerts a strong fertilizing effect upon the plants.
After a series of carefully conducted experiments by Mr. Charles V.
Mapes, he writes:
"Salt was only effectual as a fertilizer in proportion as the soil
contained accumulated supplies of plant food, either from previous
manurings or from natural strength. Asparagus, unlike nearly all other
crops, will stand almost unlimited quantities of salt without injury. It
also thrives near the seashore, and it was therefore generally believed
that liberal quantities of salt were a necessity to its successful
growth. Experience has shown, however, that its presence is not at all
necessary for its growth, and that the reason that a bed to which salt
has been applied shows quickened and improved growth is that the salt
dissolves out of the soil plant food which, without the presence of the
salt, would have become too slowly reduced to available condition for
producing good crops. The salt acted practically as a stimulant and
added nothing except chlorine and soda, neither of which in any
considerable quantity is essential for growing this crop. It is this
dissolving action that takes place in the soil whenever any soluble salt
or fertilizer, like kainit, potash salts, acid phosphates, etc., be
applied to the soil, that is often mistaken for a manuring one. The
result is an exhaustion, not a strengthening, of the soil. The crop is
grown at the expense of the limited supply of food that the soluble salt
can act upon. The fertilizer has acted practically as a stimulant."
XI
HARVESTING AND MARKETING
The chief labor in asparagus culture is the cutting and bunching. As it
is of the greatest importance that the work be done promptly and
expeditiously, it is desirable to have more help than is wanted merely
for the asparagus, and then, when the asparagus is ready for market,
they can go to hoeing and tilling other crops. Five acres in full
bearing will require from six to eight men from four to six hours per
day to do the cutting and three or four to do the bunching. A successful
farmer in western New York, who has four acres of asparagus, employs
eight or ten boys and girls, for from three to six hours per day, to do
the cutting and three women to bunch it. The women are paid by the
bunch, and work five to ten hours per day. Piecework, if properly done,
is nearly always cheaper than day work, and is better for the employes
and the employer.
CUTTING
As has been stated in a previous chapter, cutting should not begin until
the plants have become strong and vigorous, which requires two or three
years from the planting. In the latitude of New York City the cutting
season commences usually the last week in April and closes July 10th,
although but few growers cut after the 1st, particularly if the season
has been a favorable one. Except on old and well-established plantings,
cutting should not extend for more than six or seven weeks. Some growers
cut asparagus as long as it pays to ship, regardless of the damage done
to the plants. The old rule to discontinue cutting asparagus when green
peas are abundant is a safe one to follow, especially in the home
garden. Unlike other crops, about as much can be cut each day, or at
each cutting, as the day before, during the season, varying only
according to the weather.
_Manner of cutting._--The mode of cutting asparagus varies according to
the requirements of the markets, whether green or white stalks are
desired. Whatever individual preferences may be, the fact is that in New
York City, and some other large market centers, 75 per cent. of the
asparagus sold is white or blanched, and it would be useless to try to
persuade the buyers to take any other. To show how extreme the
convictions are in this matter of taste, we quote from Prof. J. F. C. Du
Pre, of the Clemson Agricultural College: "Why any one should prefer the
almost tasteless, insipid white to the green 'grass,' into which the
sunshine has put the flavor of ambrosia, is beyond my comprehension." On
the other hand, Leboeuf, the famous asparagus expert of Argenteuil,
writes: "Properly blanched asparagus is infinitely more tender and
delicate than green. To serve up green asparagus is to dishonor the
table."
In recent years a compromise has been made between the two styles. By
allowing the tops of the hilled-up sprouts to grow four inches above the
surface, the upper half of the stalk is green while the lower half
remains white.
[Illustration: FIG. 23--BASKET OF ASPARAGUS READY FOR THE BUNCHING SHED]
For green asparagus the sprouts are cut when six or seven inches high,
and then only so far below the surface as to furnish a stalk about nine
inches long. For the white style the rows have to be ridged twelve
inches above the crowns, and the stalks are cut as soon as the tops show
above the ground, the cutting off being eight or nine inches below the
surface.
Whichever method is followed, it is very important to cut every day
during the season, and to cut clean at each cutting, taking all the
small sprouts as well as the large ones. If the weak and spindling
shoots are allowed to grow they will draw away the strength from the
roots, to the injury of the crop.
[Illustration: FIG. 24--CUTTING AND PICKING UP ASPARAGUS IN A TEN-ACRE
FIELD OF C. W. PRESCOTT, MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASS.]
When cutting, the sprout is taken in the left hand and the knife run
down close alongside of it to the proper depth, carefully avoiding other
spears that are just beginning to push up all around the crown. Then the
handle of the knife is moved away from the stalk, to give it the proper
slant, the knife shoved down so as to sever the stalk with a tapering
cut, and at the same time the stalk is pulled out. After cutting, the
asparagus should be removed out of the sun as soon as possible to
prevent its wilting and discoloring. Usually this is done by dropping
the stalks in a basket which, when full (Fig. 23), is carried to the
bunching shed. On large plantations, however, the cutters leave the
stalks on the ground to be picked up by boys following closely, as seen
in Fig. 24. To facilitate the picking up and carrying away, horse
carriers are used, as shown in Fig. 25.
[Illustration: FIG. 25--HORSE CARRIER FOR TEN BOXES OF ASPARAGUS]
In some sections of Europe, especially at the famous asparagus regions
of Argenteuil, a knife is never used. According to W. Robinson: "The
slightly hardened crust around the emerging bud and on top of the little
mound is pushed aside, the fore and middle finger separated are then
thrust deeply into the soft soil, pushing the earth outwards. If a
rising shoot be met with on the way down, it is carefully avoided. A
second plunge of the two fingers and pushing out of the earth usually
brings them to the hardened ground about the crest of the root; the
forefinger is then slipped behind the base of the shoot fit to gather,
and rushed gently outward, when the shoot at once snaps clean off its
base. This plan has the advantage of leaving no mutilated shoots or
decaying matter on the ground. Once gathered, care is taken that the
shoot is not exposed to the light, but placed at once in a covered
basket. As soon as the stalk is gathered, the earth is gently and
loosely drawn up with the hand, so as to leave the surface of the mound
as it was before, not pressing the earth in any way, but keeping it
quite free. The shoots are not rubbed or cleaned in any way--it would
disfigure them, and they do not require it."
_Knives._--There are several styles of knives for cutting asparagus, but
an ordinary ten-inch butcher-knife with the point cut square off,
leaving the end about an inch and a quarter wide and ground sharp like a
chisel, answers the purpose as well as any of the implements made
especially for the purpose. Another serviceable tool for cutting
asparagus is a carpenter's thin firmer-chisel, one and one-half inches
wide, nearly flat, and the thinnest that can be obtained ground on the
convex side or back, about an inch from the end, which should be rounded
off on the inside to prevent them from injuring sprouts near by. Other
styles of asparagus knives are seen in Fig. 26.
SORTING AND BUNCHING
In some local markets asparagus is sold loose, by weight, in which case
but little regard is paid to the size and length and color of the
stalks, nor to the style of packing. This is the most profitable way for
the grower to sell, as it saves him all the expense and labor of
bunching, and as even the smallest stalks are thus salable, there is no
waste whatever, while the prices obtained are about the same as those
for first-class bunches--that is, two pounds of loose asparagus sell for
about the same price as a full-sized bunch. But in city markets
asparagus could hardly be sold in such a condition, and it is of first
importance that it should be carefully graded and neatly bunched.
[Illustration: FIG. 26--VARIOUS ASPARAGUS KNIVES]
[Illustration: FIG. 27--END AND SIDE VIEW OF PRIME WHITE ASPARAGUS
BUNCHES]
_Sorting._--Careful growers assort into three sizes: extras, primes, and
seconds. The size and weight of the bunches vary somewhat in different
markets. Bunches varying from six to twelve inches in length are
received at wholesale centers, but the most convenient and popular size
for a bunch of prime white asparagus is eight and one-half inches long,
averaging thirty spears, and weighing two pounds. The side view of one
and the end view of three bunches of this size of white asparagus are
shown in Fig. 27. To assure uniformity some ingenious contrivances have
been invented, most of which are a great improvement over the old-time
bunchers, consisting merely of a board with four pins, six inches long,
and placed about four inches apart each way, to form a square. Two
strings, usually of bast matting, were laid down on the board, which was
set on a bench up against the wall, or had a back made of another board
tacked on it at right angles. The asparagus was laid on the buncher
between the pins, the tops touching the back or wall to keep them even.
When the bunch was large enough the strings were tied firmly, and the
butt end of the bunch cut square.
[Illustration: FIG. 28--CONOVER'S ASPARAGUS BUNCHER]
_Bunchers._--The modern bunchers are constructed of cast iron and are
easily handled. One of the first to come into use was Conover's (Fig.
28). The principle of the operation is that the stalks are placed
between two brass strips, a hinged cover is brought down by means of a
lever and held in place until the strings are tied. Two ties should be
used, one placed about two inches from either end. The bunch must be
tied so tightly that it will not loosen in handling and transportation
to market. The Watt's Buncher (Fig. 29), used extensively in New Jersey,
is so arranged that the arms may be adjusted to any size bunch desired
by simply loosening the bolts at either end, and pulling out the arms so
as to fit the shape of the bunch, and thus both ends can be bunched
properly. The style of buncher and knives in favor with growers in the
famous asparagus region near Concord, Mass., are seen in Fig. 30, and
the process of bunching in Fig. 31.
[Illustration: FIG. 29--WATT'S ASPARAGUS BUNCHER]
_Tying materials._--Twine, Cuban bast, sisal, and various other
materials are used for tying, but nothing is better for this purpose
than raffia fiber. This is obtained from the raffia or rofia palm, a
native of the island of Madagascar. The tree sends enormous branches
from near the ground, the pinnate leaves of which produce this fiber.
One palm frond will produce eighty to one hundred long, green leaflets
from two to five feet in length, and from this the fiber is prepared.
"Silk lamba" is also a product of this palm. Raffia fiber is now
extensively used for tying up plants, for grafting, and many other
purposes, as it is very strong, as soft as silk, and is not affected by
moisture or changes of temperature, and it does not break or ravel when
folded or knotted.
[Illustration: FIG. 30--RACK AND KNIVES USED IN NEW ENGLAND]
[Illustration: FIG. 31--AT THE BUNCHING TABLE]
_Rubber bands._--The use of rubber bands for fastening asparagus bunches
has recently been found to have some advantages not possessed by other
materials. Prof. W. J. Green, of the Ohio Experiment Station, writes in
Bulletin No. 9: "The work can be done more rapidly and better. The
saving in time is fully one-third, which will pay for the increased cost
of rubber over string, reckoning wages at seventy-five cents per day.
This difference might be less where expert tyers are employed, or very
low rates per hundred bunches are paid. In any case, the work can be
done in a manner that is much more satisfactory to dealers with rubber
than with string. This is owing to the fact that rubber holds the
bunches intact, while string allows them to fall apart and to become
unsightly. Doubtless, in some cases, dealers would be willing to pay
more for bunches fastened with rubber than for those put up in the
ordinary manner. Even though no difference is made in price for
asparagus put up by the two methods, the bunches fastened with rubber
bands sell more readily than those tied with string.
"Rubber bands can be bought for two dollars per pound, and the size best
adapted to the purpose run about two thousand bands per pound, or
sufficient for one thousand bunches. This makes rubber bands cost about
two cents per dozen bunches more than string, if the saving in labor is
not taken into consideration.
"The saving in the item of labor depends, of course, upon the kind of
labor employed. In determining the relative value of the two methods not
only must cost of labor be taken into consideration, but the character
of the market as well. When competition is not strong careful bunching
is not a matter of great importance, but in many markets it is essential
that the bunches be put up in such a manner that they will not fall
apart. In such cases rubber bands will more than pay for their extra
cost, by insuring more ready sales, if not by increasing the price.
"The method employed in bunching with rubber bands is to slip a band
over an ordinary teacup--one with straight sides and without a handle;
fill the cup with asparagus shoots, the heads downward, and then slip
the band from the cup to the bunch. This makes a bunch of about the
right size, and gives the upper end a nicely rounded appearance. All
that remains to be done is to slip on another band and to square the
butts with a sharp knife. Possibly a metallic cup would answer better,
being thinner, but a teacup is not objectionable in this particular. If
smaller bunches are desired than the smallest cup that can be found, it
is not necessary to fill the cup."
MARKETING
During the entire process of cutting, sorting, bunching, and packing
great care must be exercised not to bruise or in any way injure the
heads, as the gummy juice of these soon heats and spoils the whole. They
should also be kept cool and dry, else the moisture causes decay. Of
course if, when cutting, the ground is wet, some of the soil will adhere
to the lower ends of the stalks; this has to be rinsed off in clean
water, but not by immersing the entire stalk.
If the bunches are to be kept over night, before packing, the butts
should be dipped in clean water and stood on end on a cold cellar
bottom, or upon grass or hay that has been thoroughly wet; but the
crowns, or the green portions of the sprouts, should never be sprinkled
or wet. It is a common practice to set the bunches in shallow pans
containing water, but this is apt to give a bitter taste to the stalks.
[Illustration: FIG. 32--BOX OF GIANT ASPARAGUS READY FOR SHIPMENT]
[Illustration: FIG. 33--SOUTHERN ASPARAGUS CRATE, CONTAINING 24 BUNCHES
OF GREEN ASPARAGUS]
[Illustration: FIG. 34--END PIECE OF SOUTHERN CRATE]